From Australia and Germany to New Zealand and Beyond…

Hiromu Inada, an 80-year-old man from Yachiyo, Japan, and Harriet Anderson, 79, of San Carlos, California — along with triathletes as young as 18 and hailing from 52 countries around the globe — are among the 2,000 elite competitors who will tackle the annual IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 12, 2013, the most iconic endurance event in the world.

The 2013 field of athletes, which has grown from just 12 finishers in 1978, will tackle a 2.4-mile open water swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and 26.2-mile run within 17 hours. In order to qualify for the World Championship athletes earned slots at IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 events held worldwide.

“What an amazing testament it is to IRONMAN and the sport of triathlon to have more than 2,000 athletes from 48 states and 52 countries competing at this year’s World Championship,” said Andrew Messick, CEO of IRONMAN. “Roughly 80,000 athletes strive every year to be among the 2,000 to compete on the hallowed grounds of Kona. The IRONMAN World Championship is not only the pinnacle of endurance racing – but also one of the most inspiring sporting events. Every athlete has a story to share about how they got to the start line – and why they want to cross the finish line to hear ‘You are an IRONMAN.’”

While athletes of all ages have qualified to compete in the World Championship, the average age of 2013 male registrants is 42 and the average age of female registrants is 40, defying commonly held notions about peak physical performance.

The ages of IRONMAN World Championship athletes are almost as varied as their countries of origin. The United States is the most represented with 756 competitors, accounting for nearly 35 percent of entrants this year.

In all, athletes from 48 states are represented, with the greatest number coming from California (111), Hawaii (54), New York (53), Texas (49) and Colorado (47).

Internationally, Australia has the most athletes competing with 260, followed by Germany (204), Canada (141), Great Britain (88) and Switzerland (73).

Additional historical facts and stats on the field competing in the 2013 IRONMAN World Championship in Kona-Kailua, Hawaii: